Why he’s here: The Sporting News preseason player of the year showed remarkable poise and polish for a freshman big man, no doubt a result of years of playing against older brothers Luke and Tyler, both Division I players, at home. He averaged 15.6 points per game while shooting 62.3 percent from the floor, which was fourth in the country. He also proved to be adept at drawing contact (216 free-throw attempts) while staying out of foul trouble (2.7 fouls per game).

His challenge: From the moment he signed at IU, Zeller has been seen as the catalyst to the Hoosiers’ return to national prominence. There are so many weapons at Indiana—Sporting News’ preseason No. 1 team—that Zeller’s effectiveness won’t necessarily be judged by individual numbers, but he will be judged by his team’s success.

What to expect: When the Hoosiers absolutely have to score, they’ll feed the ball to Zeller in the post. Expect him to deliver. He’ll shoot a high percentage from the field, get opposing big men into foul trouble and keep IU at or near the top of the rankings all season. Anything less than a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament from Zeller & Co. would be disappointing.

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First Team: Doug McDermott, Creighton, F, 6-8/220, Jr.

Why he’s here: McDermott put together a statistically amazing sophomore season even though stopping him was priority No. 1 for every Creighton opponent. He led the nation with 307 field goals and averaged 22.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Those are impressive numbers, but his shooting percentages were downright jaw-dropping—McDermott shot 63.3 percent on 2-point attempts and 48.6 on his 111 3-point attempts.

His challenge: After a standout freshman season, expectations were sky-high for McDermott. Somehow, he exceeded those, at least on an individual level. As a team, the Bluejays were disappointed with their No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament—their 28-5 record deserved better—and first-weekend exit. McDermott will focus on getting his team into at least the Sweet 16 next March.

What to expect: McDermott will put up more impressive numbers even though it will be tough to match his lofty shooting percentages. His Pomeroy offensive rating of 123.5 was second in the country among players involved with at least 28 percent of their teams’ possessions. He’ll be back in that range again, and he’ll be a consensus All-American for the second consecutive year.

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First Team: James Michael McAdoo, North Carolina, PF, 6-9/230, Soph.

Why he’s here: McAdoo is, by far, the least accomplished of Sporting News’ First-Team All-Americans. But he is as talented as any of them, and he has the opportunity to duplicate the reserve-to-star rise pulled off by Kansas’ Thomas Robinson last season. McAdoo was a top five prospect in the class of 2011 and would have started for almost any other team, but Carolina was loaded in the frontcourt last season—three players went in the first round of the NBA draft.

His challenge: With Tyler Zeller, John Henson and Harrison Barnes drawing NBA paychecks, McAdoo will be UNC’s first scoring option. McAdoo showed flashes of his immense talent—17 points in 23 minutes against Vermont in the NCAA opener and 15 points in 19 minutes against Kansas in the Elite Eight—but his production must be consistent throughout the season.

What to expect: There might be an early adjustment period, but there’s a reason NBA scouts considered him a potential top 10 pick if he would have left UNC after last season. McAdoo, who averaged 6.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game, has great touch around the rim and a knack for offensive rebounding. The Heels are deep in the backcourt, but it’s McAdoo’s production in the paint that will make them an outstanding team.

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First Team: Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State, F, 6-7/215, Jr.

Why he’s here: Even though Thomas wasn’t the Buckeyes’ star (that was Jared Sullinger) or defensive marvel (Aaron Craft) or most enthusiastic shooter (William Buford), he quietly put together a great sophomore season in 2011-12. A lefthanded shooter, Thomas made 59.9 percent of his attempts from 2-point range and 34.5 from 3-point range, and he averaged 15.9 points and 5.4 rebounds. And now, with Sullinger and Buford gone, there are plenty of offensive possessions available for Thomas.

His challenge: Opponents will be more focused on Thomas, Ohio State’s primary offensive option. That will be an adjustment but one he should have no problem handling. He has an inside-outside game rare in college ball. He’ll be tested early, too—the Buckeyes open their season against Marquette and play at Duke in their final November game.

What to expect: There were several games last year when Thomas was Ohio State’s best player—he had 30 points against upset-minded South Carolina in December and averaged 19.2 in five NCAA Tournament games—and that will happen more often this season. With a big junior year, Thomas will have an NBA-or-senior season decision to make in April.

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First Team: C.J. McCollum, Lehigh, PG, 6-3/190, Sr.

Why he’s here: McCollum has been the most consistent scorer in college basketball the past three years, averaging 19.1 points as a freshman, 21.8 as a sophomore and 21.9 as a junior. Those who didn’t know much about him found out what he’s capable of when he scored 30 points to lead the 15th-seeded Mountain Hawks to a shocking upset of second-seeded Duke in the NCAA Tournament last March.

His challenge: By now, McCollum is used to taking opponents’ best defensive shot, and that’s not going to change. On an individual level, he’ll try to show NBA scouts that he has added strength to his lanky 6-3 frame, and he’ll try to improve his ballhandling skills as he builds his draft stock. He started that process by excelling at summer camps hosted by Chris Paul, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

What to expect: McCollum will be, as always, an excellent scorer. But he’ll likely be overlooked on the national scene unless Lehigh can capture a little of the Murray State magic from last season. The ultimate goal, as always, will be to lead Lehigh to the Patriot League championship and earn another shot at the big boys in the NCAA Tournament.

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Second Team: C.J. Leslie, NC State, PF, 6-9/200, Jr.

Leslie always has had jaw-dropping athletic ability, and in the final two months of last season, he finally started translating that immense talent into on-court production. He averaged 17.1 points and 8.7 rebounds in his final 15 games and helped lead the Wolfpack to a surprise Sweet 16 berth.

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Second Team: Michael Dixon, Missouri, G, 6-1/190, Sr.

Dixon didn’t start last year but was the nation’s best sixth man last year and typically had the ball in crunch time. He is a gritty, tough-nosed guard with a knack for drilling clutch jumpers and drawing contact on the way to the basket averaged 13.5 points per game. He’ll team with distribution marvel Phil Pressey, another All-American candidate, to form perhaps the nation’s best backcourt.

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Second Team: Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA, G/F, 6-6/225, Fr.

Though just a freshman, Muhammad certainly is the most prolific scorer for a UCLA team looking for a return to prominence. He attacks the rim with abandon and has a good enough jumper to keep opponents from sagging down to obstruct his path to the basket. Eligibility issues remain a concern, though.

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Second Team: Alex Poythress, Kentucky, SF, 6-7/215, Fr.

He’s not the top-ranked recruit in this Kentucky class, but Poythress is ready to make the biggest impact. He’s a 6-7 wing with the all-around games Kentucky fans have become accustomed to seeing from John Calipari freshmen.

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Second Team: Isaiah Canaan, Murray State, PG, 6-1/195, Sr.

Odds are Murray State won’t duplicate last season’s lengthy run of undefeated basketball, but odds are good Canaan again will be one of the nation’s top players. He set career highs with 19.0 points and 3.6 assists last season, and he’s a career 44.6 percent shooter from 3-point range.

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Third Team: Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State, G/F, 6-5/195, Jr.

The reigning Mountain West player of the year exploded on the scene last season, pushing his scoring average from 2.9 on a stacked Aztecs squad his freshman year to 17.4 as a sophomore. He had a dozen double-doubles in the second half of last season and averaged 7.9 rebounds per game, a strong number for a 6-5 guard.

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Third Team: B.J. Young, Arkansas, SG, 6-3/180, Soph.

Young flirted with the NBA Draft after a stellar freshman season, averaging 15.2 points in just 25.2 minutes per game. He shot 55.2 percent on his 2-point attempts and 41.3 percent from beyond the 3-point arc in coach Mike Anderson’s first year with Arkansas.

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Third Team: Peyton Siva, Louisville, PG, 6-0/180, Sr.

For the last month of the college hoops season, Siva might have been the best point guard in the country. In nine postseason games, Siva averaged 11.3 points, 6.0 assists and 1.7 steals as he led the Cardinals to the Big East Tournament championship and then on an unexpected run to the Final Four.

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Third Team: Trey Burke, Michigan, PG, 6-0/190, Soph.

Burke exceeded every expectation as a freshman, becoming the on-court leader despite the presence of other veterans. The point guard averaged 14.8 points, 4.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game for a Michigan squad that finished in a three-way top atop the Big Ten regular-season standings.

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Third Team: Adonis Thomas, Memphis, F, 6-7/252, Soph.

An ankle injury cut Thomas’ freshman season short, but he’s healthy and ready to assume a larger role in the offense, with leading scorer Will Barton now in the NBA. If Thomas stays healthy and plays near his level of potential, he easily could be a top-10 pick in next year’s NBA Draft.